1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a training assembly specifically structured and configured to train football players, particularly down lineman, to assume the proper orientation as they move or "fire out" from the set position to the blocking position where the contact is made with players of the opposing team.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the United States the team sport of football has achieved great popularity and because of such popularity it is currently played at various levels including little league, high school, college, and professional leagues. A young player graduating to the successively higher levels or leagues is dependent upon his skill and ability in comparison with other players. In addition to innate talent of a player, his ability to progress through the sport is also very dependent upon the coaching such player receives during his younger years and as he successfully plays in the various leagues with superior skill.
Coaching, at almost all levels of play, utilizes a variety of training devices for the purpose of improving the player's strength as well as developing certain preferred and recongized techniques for accomplishing the various functions. Such functions or skills needed by a football player, dependent upon the position played, include blocking, tackling, etc. To aid in the teaching of proper technique to football players, devices of the type disclosed in the following U.S. patents are known in the prior art. Such Patents include Nedwick, U.S. Pat. No. 3,451,677; Hornak, U.S. Pat. No. 3,580,574; and Forest, U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,060. In the latter patent to Forest, a portable traing device is disclosed for teaching football lineman the proper technique for gradually raising their bodies from a set position to a blocking position. Accordingly, the prior art recognizes that certain techniques including the orientation and control of the body of the player as it travels from an initial, set position outwardly into a blocking position, must be maintained in a substantially low or partially crouched orientation. However, training devices used to teach players proper orientation or technique in assuming the blocking position have a possible disadvantage in that restraining bars or elements are placed directly over the player's head. Accordingly, if the player inadvertently rises to the level of such retaining elements, a severe blow could be delivered to the head. Even though the head is protected by a conventional helmet structure, a serious blow or repeated blows could cause severe damage which should not be risked particularly when utilizing a training device which is intended to teach proper playing techniques.
Accordingly, there is a need in the prior art for a training assembly specifically structured to maintain and teach proper orientation of a player as he travels from his set position to blocking position by restraining the player into a low or crouched orientation without positioning any type of restraints or structures which could come in contact with the player's head, even though helmeted. Such a preferred device should be capable of being made from any number of a variety of strong and rigid materials so that the device may be portable and transported between numerous sites or easily installed and/or removed before and after practice utilizing such a training assembly.